An Idea With Upside

I came across an article today on CBS Sports (h/t Minor League Ball) in which Bryan Fischer talks about a possible between Major League Baseball, and the NCAA in which MLB would help fund some scholarships. Fischer said:

The partnership is aimed at expanding the importance of college baseball and is expected to result a significant investment by MLB that could include funding scholarships across the sport. The NCAA Board of Directors was briefed on the matter last week at their annual meeting.

“It’s very early,” a source said. “But we’re hopeful something meaningful will come out of the talks.”

Baseball is currently an equivalency sport at the collegiate level, with schools allotted 11.7 full scholarships to distribute how they see fit. This results in players receiving a wide range of scholarship money to attend school, from nothing to a select few getting a full scholarship depending on how the coach recruits. What form an MLB sponsorship will take is yet to be determined but it could result in a general scholarship fund or additional scholarships for each school paid by the league.

A move like this could not only put college baseball back on the map, but also offer greater opportunities to players after baseball. Think about all the high school players who get drafted. The vast majority of them don’t make it. However, if they can afford to go to college thanks to a scholarship, they won’t be left with nothing.

The fact that baseball only get 11.7 scholarships is ridiculous. Scholarships are divided up in odd ways to fill out a roster. That’s not how it should be. Everyone who is good enough should be able to play college ball. Also, as Matt Garioch pointed out on Minor League Ball, the quality of play in the NCAA would rise and it would become a great developmental way.

Anything that encourages high school players to attend college, and makes it readily available to them- is something I’m all for.

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About Connor O'Brien

I'm a 17 year-old blogger, high school student, and lifelong Mets fan. I've been blogging about the Mets in some form or another for about four years. I embrace the new age, sabermetric way of thinking, but also recognize the importance of scouting and player devlopment.